Viral Video Of Alleged Homophobic Incident At Sacramento Pool Sparks New Conversations With Kids

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A viral video of a fiery conversation at a Sacramento hotel pool is drawing the attention of celebrities and sparking conversations about how to talk to your kids.

The video CBS13 first reported on Tuesday shows the aftermath of what happened after a group of women allegedly asked a same-sex couple to stop kissing in front of their kids.

Alex Sanchez, director of advocacy and training at Sacramento LGBT Community Center, believes the video highlights a double standard when it comes to LGBTQ and heterosexual relationships.

To start these conversations about inclusion among the young, Sanchez says it's all about compassion and understanding.

"Being transgender, being a Latinx woman, I always have that in the back of my mind, am I safe here?" said Sanchez.

The video reinforces the fears and hesitation that Sanchez faces every day.

"I want to just hold my partner's hand sometimes but I don't always feel comfortable because I don't want to expose us to violence," she said.

The now-viral video is catching the attention of more than 100,000 people, including celebrities like comedian Kathy Griffin. The woman at the center of the group's frustration, Domonique Veasley, told CBS13 the encounter at first caught her by surprise.

"My initial reaction for the children was 'Oh yeah,' and then I was like 'You are asking me to stop being me,' " Veasley explained.

Sanchez explained the best way to educate your kids on the LGBTQ community is to start with basic conversations.

"You can lead in conversations with your children to say 'How did it make you feel when you saw two people of the same sex kissing?' That can lead to bigger conversations about kindness for other people," she said. "When you are talking to younger kids, you can talk to them in a general sense and say 'Some families have two moms, some families have two dads, some families only have one mom or dad and that's OK.' Families are different across the spectrum."

Sanchez at the Sacramento LGBT Community Center trains businesses and school staff on inclusion practices. She suggests age-appropriate conversations leading to deeper discussion after the age of 10 years old.

"We want to create a society that is kinder and has more empathy for people across the spectrum, so conversations like this one is a great place to see where they are at and maybe teach concepts about how people are different and what the world looks like for different people," Sanchez explained.

These conversations Sanchez believes are vital to protecting marginalized communities.

"Hate crimes keep trending upwards for more marginalized communities and I think if we are not having these conversations with our children, we are contributing to the way people are hurting each other," she said.

June is pride month, and the community center is offering a number of events where you can learn more about the LGBTQ community.